Welcome to Bimmerfest -- The #1 Online Community for BMW related information! Please enjoy the discussion forums below and share your experiences with the 200,000 current, new and past BMW owners. The forums are broken out by car model and into other special interest sections such as BMW European Delivery and a special forum to voice your questions to the many BMW dealers on the site to assist our members!

E60 / E61 (2004 - 2010) BMW 5-Series E60 Sedan was first seen in the Unites States in the fall of 2003 with a 2004 Model Year designation. The E61 wagon followed shortly there after. The E60/E61 5 series is now available as a 528i, 528xi, 535i, 535xi, 550i and a 535xi sports wagon! -- View the E60 Wiki

Couldn't quite find the answer on previous posts.
Been eye-ing the 550, trying to figure out if I want the sports pkg. Almost all 5s at dealers have the sports pkg, love the look. But I've seen some complaints on tramline and bumpiness of the 18 inch runflats, and harshness of the sports suspension. My question is are there any who regret having it or any who regret not getting it? Anyone very happy with his decision to not get it? I'll do some test drive, but don't know if a short drive will be enough to make the decision. I'm looking for a responsive car but appreciate relaxed one hand driving at times, and something the wife, who is certainly not a speed racer, can also enjoy.

Another question, can one get a CD changer, without the premium sound pkg (OEM or not)?
thanks to all

If I lived in a warm weather state I probably would have gotten the sport package. Winter concerns were the primary reason I didn't go with it. I think you'll realize during a short test drive that the sport package has very little, if any, drawbacks for you.

Also, yes, it is possible to get a CD changer without getting premium sound. Premium sound is awesome however, and I highly recommend it!

I have only owned one BMW without a sports package and really regretted buying it. My current E60 has the sports package with dynamic handling. I find on rutted roads that the car does wander or pull towards the ruts. To me it is not a problem as I have grwon accustomed to this given the low profile tires on the SP.

Mine is one of the few cars that came with Goodyear RFT tires. They are particualrly stiff but handle well. I personally prefer the stiffer ride with the handling as I feel it enhances the driving experinece.

Test drive both SP and non SP cars and see which ride you like better. Remember that active steering (if you are considering that option) will change the feel of pulling while going over the ruts.

No regrets here whatsoever. This is my second BMW with sport package--love it, highly recommended. Ride is not harsh--active roll stabilization is great for comfortable ride on straights, and minimizing body roll on twisties. Here's some info on ARS (also called Dynamic Drive).

thanks all for your responses.
Seems like everyone so far either love it or regret not getting it. Are there no non-sport-pkg BMWer who love it?
I'm scratching my head trying to have a reasonable configuration and the sport-pkg appeared to be something that one coming from MB may not necessarily want.
The other 2 options I'm debating are navigation and premium sound

thanks all for your responses.
Seems like everyone so far either love it or regret not getting it. Are there no non-sport-pkg BMWer who love it?
I'm scratching my head trying to have a reasonable configuration and the sport-pkg appeared to be something that one coming from MB may not necessarily want.
The other 2 options I'm debating are navigation and premium sound

Those options are "no-brainers"......... get them.... especially if doing an ED, and/or looking down the road towards resale and your car's attractiveness to buyers.

thanks spartacus, having said that I noticed you didn't get navigation, any particular reason?

*** EDIT: my mistake, upon closer examination I see you do have it

one thing on the resale, I usually keep my car pretty long 7-8 yrs, during that time things break, especially the day after warranty expires. So I never thought of the resale value as a factor for optioning because typically, I've had to repair them before I sell the car. I can imaging having to repair the navigation or the CD changer in a couple of years.
BTW: nice info on the ED

thanks all for your responses.
Seems like everyone so far either love it or regret not getting it. Are there no non-sport-pkg BMWer who love it?
I'm scratching my head trying to have a reasonable configuration and the sport-pkg appeared to be something that one coming from MB may not necessarily want.
The other 2 options I'm debating are navigation and premium sound

I did not get the sport package and I love my car. I did get NAV and Logic 7 and I love those options.

Another thought that I had (as I keep my cars a longer time) is that ARS is just one more mechnical system that could break over that time period. But again, that's just my opinion. I really wrestled long and hard about the sport package and for me, the cons outweighed the pros.

For those that got the sport-pkg, how long do you keep the fronts tires, how about the rears, and how much does it cost to replace those runflats.
Also, sport-pkg come with runflats and a space saver spare whereas the non-sport does not have runflats, so does that mean the non-sport have a fullsize spare or are they just making it easier for the sport folks to limp home without changing to the spare.

I've noticed quite a bit of tramlining on my E39 and E60 (both have sports pkg) but that is only on rutted roads of course. It *can* be quite annoying at times but I know the roads where it happens and so I avoid them if I can or otherwise, I just pay a bit more attention when driving on them. I'm not sure having the sports pkg and tramlining are necessarily mutually exclusive however. I think BMW's suspensions are just picky.

No regrets here whatsoever. This is my second BMW with sport package--love it, highly recommended. Ride is not harsh--active roll stabilization is great for comfortable ride on straights, and minimizing body roll on twisties. Here's some info on ARS (also called Dynamic Drive).

I'd like to ditto the great fun of ARS My 530 feels like it is on rails around the off camber curves on Hwy 29 north of Calistoga...amazing. Once the Active Steering was taken off the package, this was a no-brainer in my mind.

Well while we're on the topic, do you guys prefer the active steering or dislike it? I have yet to test one with active steering so I don't know what it's like

At first, I thought it was a little weird.... not your typical BMW "feel". I've had my 545 for 5 months now, and don't really notice it any more....until I drive someone else's car.
I like it.... but probably wouldn't have gotten it, if it had not come with the SP.

I have a 2004 530i with 6sp manual and sports package. I drove both sport and non-sport on the track and on the skid pad in Spartanburg when I picked mine up at the delivery center. The bottom line is the active steering, sport suspension calibration and active roll stabilization make a huge difference to the roll and handling of the car.

If you are planning on a looking for a nice powerful luxury ride around town, and on the highway -- you probably don't need it. If you are the type that wants the manual or SMG trans, and want to push it on the corners on the back roads -- then you definitely need the sports package.

My only complaint is the 18" wheels and low profile tires. Yes the car handles better with them -- and yes the run flat tires are a nice piece of mind (especially if you live in a new neighborhood where the builders leave nails all over the street). But man -- one good pothole strike and your off to buy new wheels. Get a wheel and tire warranty / insurance if it is reasonably priced -- or swap out for 17" wheels I guess.

Thanks for all the replies, it's been quite useful. A little more question on those run-flats.
- how long do they typical last - normal driving?
- can you patch something like a nail hole on these tires?
- can any neighbor hood tirestore repair or even mount new ones?
(any difficulty with the tire pressure sensor?)
- can you mount non-run-flats after these have gone through?
thanks gang

Thanks for all the replies, it's been quite useful. A little more question on those run-flats.
- how long do they typical last - normal driving?
- can you patch something like a nail hole on these tires?
- can any neighbor hood tirestore repair or even mount new ones?
(any difficulty with the tire pressure sensor?)
- can you mount non-run-flats after these have gone through?
thanks gang

You can patch a run-flat, but NOT any neighborhood tirestore can do it. You can also mount non-run flats on BMW rims after the current ones have gone through.